World's first arrests for 'virtual theft'

Dutch police are to charge five teenagers with "virtual theft" of furniture from rooms in the Habbo Hotel, a popular networking website for youngsters.

Officers believe that the arrest of one online thief, a 17-year-old accused of computer fraud and stealing, and the questioning of four other 15-year olds represents a first for policing on the internet.

An Amsterdam police spokesman confirmed that investigations began after one teenager was accused of stealing £2,800 worth of virtual furniture, paid for with real money but existing only as images on the website.

"We are trying to bring charges of theft. It is a little difficult and new. There has not yet been a judgment in a case like this," said a spokesman.

"The furniture may not be physical objects but because it represents a certain value we think theft is involved."

Habbo users create their own characters, known as avatars, and decorate hotel rooms and play a number of games, paying with credits.

The teenage gang are suspected of moving the stolen furniture into their own online hotel rooms after conning other users out of their login details and passwords.

Habbo Hotel was launched seven years ago by Finnish Internet company Sulake, which now claims the website has 80 million registered users in 31 countries.

The case has raised concerns over security on the Internet and ability of teenagers to spend money online.

One parent posting on www.theregister.co.uk described how his "children went through a phase of near-addiction to this hideous phenomenon".

"Habbo credit can be purchased 'simply' by ringing a premium-rate phone number and their target market generally has easy access to a telephone line for which they don't have to pay," writes David S.

"It doesn't really matter how much these things cost. Mum and Dad's money is essentially 'virtual' anyway, and it can be weeks before the phone bill hits the mat and the dung-heap hits the wind-farm."